@Kim M, I'm so sorry I missed your original post! I am here to support you! Thank you SO much for sharing your story. Your honesty is a sign of true strength. I have all the confidence that you will power through this time and get back on track. Your words definitely rang true for me, as I have yo-yoed my whole life and definitely related to the hiding when I didn't want to face that I was going back up.
But this time will be different for you. You have a tool to help you, and you are a strong person. A strong a very giving person to share your story for others. I plan to tag your post and read it from time to time as I find it very powerful. Thank you, and keep us posted how your journey is going. We are here for you. Congratulations on your good choices! Keep it up!

I'm here to support you too, @Nana Trish! Hugs to you! How are you feeling this morning? I bet every day, your stomach swelling will go down and things will get easier.
One thing my surgeon told me to do to add calories was to add avocado, banana, and/or peanut butter to my protein shake (which I do in the blender).
Keep us posted how you are doing. <3

Thank you so much for cheering me on, @CheeringCJ! I've been too embarrassed to share my real before picture before now. I guess I'm getting more comfortable with letting go of that person forever.
About the weight loss stopping - Before this journey happened I told myself that statistically the average loss was 60% of extra weight. And I was letting my body be the guide where it would stop. 60% for me would be around 180, so anything under that, I would be happy. I didn't want to fight my body ANYMORE. I have this idea that, on the surgery table, my body setpoint was reset, and it held the secret of where that would be. And I'm determined still to accept it wherever it will be. I'm just struggling now to trust. To trust in my body to not spike back up. There's my rub.
If we are doing everything right with food and exercise, then we really have no control over where our bodies will stop. I definitely think you're doing the right thing by learning to maintain where your body lands. You are in the healthy zone, you look amazing, and you are wearing great clothes! You are doing fantastic!!!!!!!!!! Keep up the great work!!!
I'm sorry for my whining, and thank you for being so empathetic!

That is really funny that your doctors never weighed you before! Boy, they do that here in the US at EVERY visit to just about any doctor.
Thanks for telling me my fears are normal. That helps tremendously in trying to squash my anxiety. Maybe this is just the normal course of things. I guess maybe it makes sense that after being a yo-yo dieter my whole life I would fear regain. I've seen it too often! Maybe it's even a good thing and will keep me on track? I just need to temper my fear enough to let myself stop the weight loss.

MY HERO!!! Way to kill it on maintenance! This is the most important phase, because it is the rest of our lives, and you are doing awesome!!!! Thanks for sharing. You are showing great strength while going into this next part of your journey. As I see it, you are:
1) Keeping your weight steady
2) Checking in every day with the scale
3) Lowering your anxiety about weight regain
4) Finding where your body weight is comfortable
5) Learning body acceptance
6) Learning food habits that work for you
Wow, wow, WOW! Awesome! Great job!
Holding steady weight, learning where my body is comfortable, and lowering anxiety about regain are three that I'm struggling with, but I'm only 12 months out. You've set a good goal for me to add these other accomplishments by month 19. Thanks for posting!

Thanks for this, @Cheesehead! This is a situation I hadn't thought of so haven't prepared myself yet. What to do if someone come out and asks if I'd had WLS?
I've already decided that, at least for now, I am only telling my husband, sons, and my four closest girlfriends (whom I've had for over 40 years.) Everyone else, when they ask what I'm doing to lose weight, I tell I'm attending Weight Watchers meetings, which I am. BUT, what if someone comes out and asks me point blank if I'd had WLS?
Hmmm. Better prepare for this before it happens, or I'll stammer along and have no choice in the matter!

I'm definitely with @Nana Trish, but for both shows. I tend to do better focusing on where I want to go (TT heroes, friends making healthy decisions, happy people) than where I want to avoid (reality shows). Just part of my personality. For me focusing on the positive pushes me up and looking on the negative makes me drift down. Reality shows depress me.

WAY TO GO !!!!!!!!!!!!! That is SO awesome! And yes, you have incredible things to say. And I'm so glad going was helpful to you. Remember that feeling and go to the next meeting too! I wish I had meetings to go to. My surgeon's office only has them like every quarter, so that's why I go to Weight Watchers every week. Community, in person and online, is extremely helpful to we humans. I think it's in our nature.

I had significant hair loss about 10 years ago when my dad died. That was super scary because I didn't know what was happening. Then it grew back. So when my surgery came around, I figured I might be "susceptible" to hair loss, so I maxed out protein and got ready to watch it fall out at month 3 post op. By month 5 I celebrated because it hadn't fallen out.
But then by six months it did. Alot. But by then I had lost so much weight, I was focusing on that great benefit and trying to ignore the hair in the drain every day. By 10 months it had stopped falling out, and now I have alot of regrowth. It looks like I have short bangs because of the 2 inch hairs along my hair line.
It's all good. I'll take temporary hair loss with permanent weight loss any day of the week!

Ditto, @tracyringo. I'm in the 12-18 month period now, so thanks for that info @Aussie Bear. Another reason to keep my eye on the ball! And I love thinking we'll all be here in 3 years cheering the next batch of people on!

i love this! I agree wholeheartedly. I'm currently in the first phase of afraid I'll gain it back. But I can see in the future that hopefully, as I'm successful keeping it off, I'll be the second phase where I'm "normal" so it's no one's business.
I'm currently working for a new client whose employees only know me at goal weight. It's fun to think that they probably just see me as a normal, fit person! Yesterday one of them said, "Oh yeah, you're like a cool soccer mom." Hahahahaha!!! If they only knew!

Such words of wisdom! Thank you. It sounds like you turned that 3 month "let loose" period into a great learning experience. Wow. I love that.
And thanks for the perspective that I'm just now starting this maintenance thing. I DO think my body, let alone my mind, is very confused! Maybe I need to gain some patience. After all, this is the beginning of a decades-long new life. It's hard though. Everything moved so fast the first year, so I want perfection in maintenance to move just as fast!